A 3-D animated movie based on Ricky Gervais's Flanimals will be made by Illumination Entertainment.

The firm, housed at Universal, has picked up the feature rights to the illustrated books and tasked The Simpsons writer Matt Selman with penning a script for the project.

Gervais's four-book Flanimals series, with art by Rob Sheen, centres on imaginary animals such as Honk, Grundit and Puddloflaj. The Office creator will voice a purple creature who embarks on a world-changing mission.

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"It will be great to play a short, fat, sweaty loser for a change," Gervais joked to Variety. "A real stretch."

Illumination pair Chris Meledandri and Courtney Pledger will produce the film, while Gervais is serving in an executive producer capacity.